UT Longhorn Football

If you're heading to 7-Eleven today for a free Slurpee, raise your glass to the city of Austin and her Texas Longhorns: After all, it was here in Austin the convenience store giant first went 24/7.

In its corporate history, the Dallas-based chain writes that in 1963 “one 7-Eleven store in Austin, Texas, located close to the University of Texas, stayed so busy after a football game, it couldn’t close. The store just remained open.” That night’s success kept the store open 24 hours from there on out - inspiring other locations to do the same.

As summer heats up, the Texas Longhorns are taking to the practice fields.

Today, UT Football Coach Mack Brown said, this year, the team is looking to rebound from last year’s lackluster season, that the team will move forward with Quarterback David Ash firmly at the helm and that wide receivers Cayleb Jones and Kendall Sanders will be suspended for the Horns' first game against New Mexico State.

Former Longhorn quarterback Vince Young graduated from the University of Texas at Austin Friday with a bachelor’s degree in Youth and Community Studies. He Tweeted a blurry photo of himself receiving his diploma and thanked "everyone who supported me through the good and bad."

Update: The Texas A&M Board of Regents approved the university’s $450 million plan to redevelop Kyle Field into the biggest stadium in Texas (by seating capacity). Demolition work on the existing stadium is slated to begin in November this year, with plans for a grand opening in time for the 2015 football season.

University of Texas at Austin senior and defensive back Kenny Vaccaro will start donning gold and black instead of burnt orange.

Vaccaro was drafted 15th overall in the NFL draft last night by the New Orleans Saints. He will be the first Longhorn to play for the home of jazz since the Saints took Heisman trophy winner Ricky Williams in 1999.

Today was college football’s nationwide signing day. All 11 expected Longhorn recruits signed letters of intent to play at UT, Coach Mack Brown said at an afternoon news conference. Those players, along with four who enrolled midyear, make up this year’s recruiting class of 15 new players.

The University of Texas Football team had a string of bad news over the weekend. The big news was the revelation that offensive coordinator Major Applewhite had a sexual relationship with a student a few years back.

Then one of the team’s players was arrested for public intoxication. Minor in comparison: a high school football star Texas had been recruiting announced he would not be coming to the 40 acres. But these are just the latest disappointing moments for a proud program on hard times.

Even if you’re not a Longhorn fan, you’re bound to have heard of the team’s recent problems on and off the field. Because if you live in Austin, you’ve got at least one friend that cares passionately about the topic and hasn’t been shy about expressing their feelings on the subject.

A bill that would require the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University to face each other on the football field every year was filed on Monday by state Rep.Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City.

The two flagship universities had a longstanding football rivalry, playing each other every year from 1914 until this past season. That all came to an end in 2012 following A&M's move to the Southeastern Conference.

[Bexar County] Assistant District Attorney Cliff Herberg said his office reviewed details of the investigation into Jordan Hicks and Case McCoy, but that no case was formally filed. Police informed the district attorney's office that the investigation is closed, Herberg said.

Original post (Jan. 14, 8:14 a.m.): University of Texas at Austin football players Case McCoy and Jordan Hicks have been reinstated to the team after they were suspended for violating team rules.

Good morning. Don’t be scared by that bright stuff outside – it’s called sunshine, and you’re forgiven for forgetting it after this week’s rainy weather. The National Weather Service says Austin’s in for a mild day, with a high in the mid-60s.

In a statement yesterday, UT linebacker Jordan Hicks’ lawyer says the investigation is now closed and no charges will be filed in the matter. But a San Antonio Police spokesperson told KUT News yesterday that the investigation is still open.

Update: KUT News has received a statement from attorney Perry Q. Minton, who is representing Jordan Hicks. It reads in part:

"Mr. Hicks vehemently asserts that all conduct that occurred during the evening of the incident was consensual by everyone involved. The allegation, if any, that a sexual assault occurred by anyone at anytime is completely false."

Update (Dec. 28, 4:54 p.m.): Still no official word from the university, but it's being widely reported that the two players suspended from tomorrow's Alamo Bowl are backup quarterback Case McCoy and linebacker Jordan Hicks. ESPN cites an anonymous “source within the school's administration,”while HookEm.com cites “multiple team sources.”

Update: Circuit of the Americas emails KUT News the following statement from COTA principal Bobby Epstein:

"Circuit of The Americas has expressed our strong preference for an alternate race date in 2013. We understand that setting a global calendar can be very challenging, involves many factors and is out of our control. We feel confident that Formula One has taken our concerns seriously and is working earnestly towards a collective solution. Ultimately, our 2013 race date may remain as it currently stands."

Original post (Nov. 20, 4:51 p.m.): If you thought it was crowded in Austin last weekend, just wait until next November.

The University of Texas Longhorns have what could be their toughest game of the year Saturday against seventh-ranked Kansas State. But the team is still dealing with a deflating loss to Texas Christian University on Thanksgiving night.

Hopes of a Big 12 title this season have now been reduced to playing the spoiler against Kansas State. If the Wildcats win Saturday, the team will claim it's first Big 12 title since 2003.

Each of the Longhorns' losses this season has been a blow from another Big 12 member (Oklahoma, West Virginia, TCU).

Thousands of people paid their final respects to legendary University of Texas football coach Darrell K Royal today. A public memorial was held at the Erwin Center and included a performance by Willie Nelson, and eulogies from UT-Austin President Bill Powers and current Longhorn coach Mack Brown.

“I asked him about what the best thing about coaching at Texas was, coaching football,” Brown said of Royal, “and he said, ‘25 million people care everyday about what you do.’ I said, ‘Coach, what’s the worst thing about coaching at Texas?’ and he said, ‘Twenty-five million people care about what you do everyday.’”

The event had been planned for months but takes on new meaning after the longtime University of Texas at Austin football coach died on Wednesday. He was 88 years-old.

For fans that no longer have the opportunity to meet Coach Royal, it’s a chance for them to find a certain closeness to him.

“Before this even happened, Edith, Coach Royal’s wife Edith Royal, who is of equal importance, made the statement that she hoped that Darrells’s fans would be the ones to own these things now. She’s cherished them for a lifetime. And that was her wish that Darrell’s fans would come out and be able to share the memories by owning a piece of that history that they created," Chris Featherston, co-owner of Austin Auction, says.

Longtime University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal passed away this morning. He was 88-years-old.

Royal coached the Longhorns from 1957 to 1976 and led the team to three National Championships. Royal also served as athletic director from 1962 to 1979.

The University honored Royal in 1996 by renaming the football stadium, Darrell K Royal-Memorial Stadium. During the announcement, UT System chancellor William Cunningham said, “No individual has contributed more to athletics at UT-Austin than Darrell Royal. He is a living legend.”

A friend of the Royal family told KUT News that plans for his memorial services are underway. The LBJ Presidential Library has set up a memorial page for Royal with photos and a phone conversation between Royal and President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

After the news of Royal's passing broke this morning, fans used Twitter to express their reactions and condolences:

Jeff Howe (@JeffHowe247), a football reporter for 247Sports.com:"Somber start to the day with the passing of Darrell Royla at age 88. He's responsible for why so many cheer for the Longhorns."

Here's a statement from Governor Rick Perry on the passing of Darrell Royal:

“Darrell Royal was a coaching icon and the face of football in the Lone Star State for a generation of Texans. His legacy can be counted in national championships, but also in his unending devotion to his university and in the Darrell K Royal Research Fund for Alzheimer’s Disease. Anita and I join Texans everywhere in mourning his loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved wife, Edith, son, Mack, and his extended family and friends.”

"Today is a very sad day. I lost a wonderful friend, a mentor, a confidant and my hero. College football lost maybe its best ever and the world lost a great man. I can hardly put in words how much Coach Royal means to me and all that he has done for me and my family. I wouldn't even be at Texas without Coach. His council and friendship meant a lot to me before I came to Texas, but it's been my guiding light for my 15 years here.

"Coach gave so much more to the State of Texas and college football than he took away. He forgot more football than most of us will ever know, including me. His impact on the game, the coaches and players, the community and the millions of lives he touched, is insurmountable. He will be missed in so many ways.